The class of polymers of carbon monoxide and olefin(s) has been known for some time. Brubaker, U.S. Pat. No. 2,495,286, produced such polymers of relatively low carbon monoxide content in the presence of free radical initiators, e.g., peroxy compounds. U.K. Pat. No. 1,081,304 produced similar polymers of higher carbon monoxide content in the presence of alkylphosphine complexes of palladium salts as catalyst. Nozaki extended this process to produce linear alternating polymers by the use of arylphosphine complexes of palladium moieties and certain inert solvents. See, for example, U.S. Pat. No. 3,694,412.
More recently, the class of linear alternating polymers of carbon monoxide has become of greater interest in part because of the greater availability of the polymers. These polymers, also known as polyketones or polyketone polymers, have been shown to be of the repeating formula --CO--A--where A is the moiety of unsaturated hydrocarbon polymerized through the ethylenic unsaturation. For example, when the hydrocarbon is ethylene, the polymer is represented by the repeating formula --CO--CH.sub.2 --CH.sub.2 --. The general process for the more recent production of such polymers is illustrated by a number of published European Patent Applications including 121,965 and 181,014. The process typically involves a catalyst composition formed from a compound of a Group VIII metal selected from palladium, cobalt or nickel, the anion of a strong non-hydrohalogenic acid and a bidentate ligand of phosphorus, arsenic or antimony.
The resulting polymers are relatively high molecular weight thermoplastics having established utility in the production of shaped articles such as containers for food and drink and internal and external parts for automotive applications, which articles are produced by processing the polymer according to known methods such as extrusion, injection molding and thermoforming. For some particular applications it has been found desirable to have properties for a polymeric composition which are somewhat different from those of the polyketone polymer. It would be of advantage to retain the more desirable physical properties of the polyketone polymers and yet improve other properties. These advantages are often obtained through the provision of a polymer blend.